In November Microsoft will be releasing Office 2003, then "Next" office suite. Wait till then and pick up Office XP cheaper as the price comes down. You could always try out Office 2003 Beta which I have at the moment but it is so good you will end up forking out the full wack for it when it is released!

As to xp, noting doing unless you are a student or have kids at school/college then you can get the Windows XP Professional edition for only £58.00 Incl VAT & Del!!

Thanks for the posting, have 2 kids in full time education so I already use the students version of Office XP. I have been having major problems with it and came to the conclusion that there was something in the coding that prevented you using the software for any type of business activity?This is the only erason I am thinking of upgrading to the full version.I have Windows XP home and I am upgarding to pro beacsue of the benefits when I go broadband and install a small network.

I can second that, I have bought three educational copies of Office and Windows 2000 over the years. I've never had any problems with any of them. It is worth doing a college or university course to get the educational deals.